Thursday’s European action delivered plenty of drama across the Europa League and Conference League. Rangers were not the only big name to fall, with Dynamo Kyiv also eliminated, while Benfica, Ajax, Beşiktaş, Anderlecht and Braga all booked their places in the play-offs. A total of 36 second-leg matches were played across the two competitions.
Rangers FC fall short at Ibrox
Rangers FC were unable to overturn their 2-1 first-leg defeat against Jagiellonia Białystok. Lawrence Shankland converted a penalty in the 19th minute following a handball by Yuki Kobayashi, levelling the tie at 2-2 on aggregate.
The Scottish side never fully took control of the contest, however. In the 65th minute, former Austria Wien forward Nik Prelec headed in Anders Klynge’s cross to make it 1-1 on the night. There was no way back for Rangers, with Jagiellonia progressing 3-2 on aggregate.
It has been a difficult start to the season for Rangers head coach Derek McInnes, whose side are still waiting for their first win after four competitive matches. The Scots now drop into the Conference League play-offs, where they will face Jablonec.
Benfica and Anderlecht get the job done
Benfica had little to worry about after their emphatic 6-1 first-leg victory over Heart of Midlothian. The Portuguese side made several changes to their starting XI and drew 1-1 in Edinburgh. Tómas Magnússon put Hearts ahead before Dodi Lukebakio responded almost immediately. Benfica advanced comfortably with a 7-2 aggregate victory, while Hearts will now face SK Rapid in the Conference League play-offs.
Anderlecht also followed up their 1-0 away win at PAOK Thessaloniki with another victory in the return leg. The Belgian side won 3-2 to complete a 4-2 aggregate success. Beşiktaş beat Hradec Králové 1-0 for the second time and progressed 2-0 overall, while Ferencváros protected their first-leg advantage with a 1-1 draw against Górnik Zabrze.
CSKA Sofia also made it through despite a nervous second leg. After winning the first match 3-0, the Bulgarians lost 3-1 at home to Maccabi Tel Aviv but held on for a 4-3 aggregate victory.
Omonia defeated Lincoln Red Imps 2-1 on aggregate, Universitatea Craiova edged past KuPS 3-2, while FC Thun advanced despite a 3-2 defeat at Víkingur Reykjavík thanks to their 3-0 win in the first leg.
RB Salzburg also secured their place in the play-offs following a 3-3 draw against Pafos in the return leg. We cover Salzburg’s match in detail in a separate article.
Dynamo Kyiv eliminated by Qarabağ
One of the biggest surprises of the Conference League qualifying round came from Qarabağ. Dynamo Kyiv had won the first leg 1-0 but suffered a 2-0 defeat in Azerbaijan. Jaly Mouaddib opened the scoring before Oleksiy Kashchuk made it 2-0 after the break. Qarabağ therefore advanced 2-1 on aggregate and will face Twente in the play-offs.
Ajax had to settle for a 2-2 draw away to Irish champions Shelbourne. The Dutch side went ahead twice, only for Shelbourne to respond on both occasions, with Sean Moore scoring the final equaliser. Ajax nevertheless advanced 5-3 on aggregate after their 3-1 first-leg victory.
Twente were never in serious danger either. Their 6-0 win in the opening match meant a 3-3 draw away to DAC 1904 was more than enough.
Big wins for Hajduk, St. Gallen and Nordsjælland
Hajduk Split gave Žalgiris no chance in the return leg either, winning 4-0 to complete an emphatic 9-2 aggregate victory and book their place in the play-offs. Partizan Belgrade defeated Tobol 5-1 on aggregate, while Rijeka’s 1-1 draw away to Ilves was enough for a 2-1 overall win. Braga were held to a goalless draw by Dinamo Minsk but progressed thanks to their 1-0 first-leg victory.
Nordsjælland and St. Gallen were particularly impressive. The Danish side completed a 7-0 aggregate win over Valur, while St. Gallen defeated Sheriff Tiraspol 8-2 over the two legs. Tromsø eliminated CFR Cluj 7-1 on aggregate, while Raków Częstochowa edged past Hammarby 1-0.
Sion, Gent, Lugano and Jablonec also secured their places in the play-offs. Sion defeated Noah 4-3 on aggregate, Gent overcame IFK Göteborg 2-1, Lugano beat Runavík 4-2 and Jablonec saw off RFS 4-1. Midtjylland eliminated Bohemians 5-2, while Inter Turku narrowly defeated Vaduz 4-3. Dinamo City produced a turnaround against Auda, recovering from a 1-0 first-leg defeat with a convincing 4-0 victory in the return match.
Inter Club d’Escaldes surprisingly swept aside Flora Tallinn 6-0 on aggregate, Riga defeated Győri ETO 2-1 and Drita proved far too strong for Tre Fiori, winning the tie 9-1. Borac needed a penalty shootout to get past ML Vitebsk after the teams finished level at 2-2 on aggregate.
Motherwell also reached the play-offs with a 2-0 victory over HJK, while a goalless draw away to Shkëndija was enough for Hibernian. FK Austria Wien progressed against Beitar Jerusalem after extra time and a penalty shootout. We also have a separate detailed report on that match.
